


The White Inked Warden

by flying_grayson_girl



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age: Origins
Genre: F/M, Tattoos, slight mentions of bdsm, slightly nsfw
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-14
Updated: 2015-07-14
Packaged: 2018-04-09 06:50:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,362
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4338161
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/flying_grayson_girl/pseuds/flying_grayson_girl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After overhearing Zevran talking about his tattoos to Alistair, Warden Kallian Tabris' interest is piqued. But as shameless as the elf is, the ink seems to be relentlessly elusive. Or the story of how there's no way Zevran wouldn't give his significant other a tattoo after finally showing off his skills.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The White Inked Warden

**Based off of a post[here](http://eyesasblackasthevoid.tumblr.com/post/122364744522/judging-by-the-fact-that-zevran-was-seriously). About Zevran and tattoos and the fact that there's no way he doesn't have experience with needles. **

* * *

 Kallian Tabris had never been a fan of art, but Zevran is doing his damndest to sway her.

Her life in the Denerim alienage didn’t exactly expose her to the arts; the most she’d ever seen were the paintings her people did, rough and abstract, colorful murals across homes alongside the pottery that the older women worried over for days. Kallian had always been more interested in her blades, training constantly in the hopes of it someday paying off.

But now…Kallian was addicted to art, as long as it involved a certain blond haired elf.

It had started with a massage. His sleeves rolled up, revealing the hint of a canvas that she hadn’t thought existed. She’d laid on her stomach and let him work his magic, her mind obsessed with what could be hiding beneath the armor.

Zevran had worshipped her, praising her body with his lips and hands until she’d fallen to pieces in his grasp. He’d almost seemed proud by the time he’d finished with her, kissing her goodnight before disappearing back to his tent – fully clothed, leaving Kallian’s imagination running wild with the thought of the canvas that was his skin.

From then on, she caught glimpses. A flash of ink during a fight, sometimes in camp during impromptu training sessions. But it always eluded her, despite Zevran’s tendency to ravish and worship her on a regular basis.

They were at Gnawed Noble Tavern for the night, spending a bit of extravagance on a night of comfortable beds, food, and good drinks that someone other than Oghren would enjoy. Kallian had already been spoiled by Zevran, gifted with a bottle of wine – not just any wine, but a dark red that cost more than a few gold pieces. Her cheeks were already flushed and the giggles were flowing freely, helped along by Zevran’s easygoing smile and sarcastic (raunchy) attempts at poetry.

It didn’t take long before they grabbed a key from the barkeep, disappearing down the hall with laughter following behind them. It only stopped when they turned the corner, out of sight when Zevran pushed her against the wall with a sly grin. Then his lips were on hers, starting with soft and gentle kisses that soon turned hungry, needy – a need that Kallian was trying to fight off with some difficulty, at least until they reached the room.

But then he was pressing her against the wall, hand running down her thigh until it reached her knee. And when he pulled, wrapping it around his waist, she could feel him against her and maker was she ready. “Are you going to join in this time or will I be the only one naked again?” She whispered, only to gasp as he lifted her up with barely enough warning for her to wrap her legs around his waist.

“If that’s what you wish, dear warden,” He murmured, capturing her purr with a fiery kiss. They only paused to unlock the room door before Kallian pulled him back, making sure that his shirt was one of the first things to go. But as worried as she was about his tattoos previously, she couldn’t find it in her to focus on him when he was so preoccupied with setting a delicious rhythm. It wasn’t until later, during a moment of rest, that Kallian finally got a good look at his tattoos.

They were purely black and white, a mix of abstract and subject matter. His shoulders were solely tribal, dark and precise lines against his skin while the whole of his back was a master work of art. Kallian shouldn’t have been surprised that it consisted of crows, a scene featuring a large and imposing tree bare of leaves but filled with crows. “I can feel you staring, Kallian. Was this all a brilliant ruse just to finally catch a glimpse of my tattoos?”

Kallian scoffed, playfully punching him in the shoulder before he finally turned over. And he smiled at her, holding his head up and wrapping an arm affectionately around her waist. “How did you know? Completely did all of this to catch a glimpse of your ink…although I will say it’s quite a bit. I don’t think I could stand the needle for quite so long,” She murmured, snuggling closer for warmth.

“After I mentioned giving one to Alistair, I noticed how often you tended to look towards me when I lifted my shirt even a fraction,” He replied, only to receive a doubtful look. “Leliana mentioned that you were interested in seeing them…in other, more _interesting_ words, of course.”

The strawberry blonde elf laughed, fingers trailing the lines of the dark tattoos that decorated his upper arms. “Yes, she’s heard all about the frustration of having them _so close_ yet so out of reach,” She joked. “But really, how long did it take for you to finish this? It can’t have been finished in a day.”

“It wasn’t,” he mused, hand trailing up her side until it reached first her shoulder before finally caressing her cheek. “I actually didn’t do any of my own; it’s difficult to get to the back. I had a friend in Antiva, the only person I trusted to do the ink for me. She was the one who came up with the designs on my shoulders. Those were first and it took a while before I decided to even start the full back design. Shoulders were a few hours, back was just the tree and a few crows and took some time. A few days. Each crow was about an hour.”

“And each crow stood for…?”

“Each…each one stands for an assignment I completed. Not the best reminder now but it’s…”

“It’s still amazing,” Kallian finished for him, smiling before she reached over and kissed him. “Maybe I’ll get something done. Although I don’t know if I could deal with the pain. Maybe something small.”

“This coming from the woman who was begging me to spa –“

“And if you make fun I’ll never ask _you_ for it ever again, Zevran Arainai,” Kallian retorted, grinning playfully as her hand skirted down across his stomach and inching dangerously low.

He only chuckled, catching her hand and pulling her close enough for his lips to find her neck. “You would take to the needle easily. The pain…it hurts at first but once you relax into it and focus just as you do with our regular _activities_ , it could be just as enjoyable.”

“I might have to try it one day then. If it’s as good as you make it sound. Now if you’ll excuse me, I should sleep off the rest of the wine I drank tonight. Or else a particular elf might take advantage of me,” She glibly replied, turning away only to feel his arms wrap around her, pulling her backside flush against his front. And the feel of him, already ready for another round, turned her laughter into a moan.

“I think it’s the other way around, little warden,” He murmured, voice husky and deep and maker it was doing things to her that she’d only imagined in her wildest dreams. “You don’t sound quite ready to go to sleep.”

“Stop teasing and fuck me, please,” she panted, sighing when he finally, gratefully slipped inside. “Oh, maker, fuck me.”

* * *

 It was a couple of months after defeating the Architect when they stopped at a tavern. Kallian had long since forfeited her position as Warden Commander, deciding to pursue some kind of cure for the calling, as slim as her leads were. Zevran was at her side, trying his best to keep the Crows out of her hair while also (allegedly) protecting her along the way.

And they were paying for a room when Zevran spied a peddler, selling something that Kallian didn’t recognize. “Go up to the room and I’ll join you as soon as I’m finished here,” He said, pausing before he moved in closer, whispering in her ear. “I’d suggest getting out of your equipment, run a warm bath. I’ll have a surprise for you when I get up there.”

As puzzled as she was, Kallian nodded and finished handing the barkeep her coins before finally hauling her bag and weapons upstairs.

By the time she got there, she was grateful for the chance to remove her armor. She only waited long enough for someone to bring hot water for the bath before she took her sweet time, removing her everything aside from her tunic with a sigh and only removing the last article of clothing when she finally reached the steaming bath.

Oh maker, that felt divine. Weeks of camping outside had left a layer of grime over every inch of skin and the heat was doing a wonderful job of chasing away the chill. She was so relaxed that by the time she heard the door open and close with a barely audible click, she contemplated ignoring it. But the decision was made for her when she felt a familiar pair of hands on her shoulders, kneading for a moment before he moved into view.

“I hope you being naked means you’ll be joining me,” She murmured, laughter on her lips as he nodded.

“Only long enough to get clean, I’m afraid,” He replied, smiling as he picked up a wash rag and grabbed the soap. He washed almost every inch of her, pausing occasionally to place a kiss over the places he scrubbed. He paid minimal attention to himself, only doing enough to wipe off the grime from their days spent on the road. When they finally got out, he wrapped a towel around his waist and did his best to dry Kallian off before he backed towards the bedroom. “Get completely dry while I set everything up. It should only take ten minutes,” He instructed her, disappearing shortly after.

It only took a couple of minutes for Kallian to finish drying, only pausing to put her hair up in a messy bun before she finally walked out into the bedroom. And what she found…she hadn’t expected. “Is that – that’s a tattoo needle isn’t it?”

Kallian couldn’t help her giggles when Zevran finally nodded, grinning just as much, if not more than, the warden. “There was an artist downstairs and when I spoke with him, he had an extra set of needles along with some spare ink. And since you’ve told me you wanted one for a while now, I thought tonight might work out very well. I have a – give me one moment,” He muttered, reaching across the bed to where their packs sat on the ground. He ruffled around until Kallian settled on the bed, laying on her stomach. “Here it is!” Zevran exclaimed, holding up a folded sheet of paper with a triumphant smile.

He handed it to her and it only took a moment for Kallian to realize that it was truly a work of art. She couldn’t believe how he’d found the time to work on it, especially with how often they were dealing with one problem or another. It was substantial enough that Kallian was sure it would take up the entirety of her back, a brilliant griffin with its wings outstretched. She was actually surprised at how _excited_ she was at the prospect of getting it done. “Zev, this is just…this is beautiful. When did you – ?”

“When you were in Amaranthine,” He told her, moving to straddle her back as he prepared his needle. “I had some down time during my time keeping Crows off of us and had a chance to sketch it. I’m thinking using white ink primarily, hints of blue. Especially against your tanned skin, the white will stand out.”

“This is going to take a few sessions, won’t it?” She asked, ignoring the cold as Zevran wiped her back down with some kind of alcohol.

He shrugged as he held up the needle, the ink nearby on the side table. “Depends on how much you can take. I would like to make this a positive experience, but this needle isn’t quite as sharp as the ones I owned in Antiva. I’d say a couple of hours tonight, as long as you’re up for it.”

“Of course I am,” She replied, catching a glimpse of them in the mirror. Zevran looked like he was in his element, as comfortable with a tattoo needle as he was with his daggers during a fight. “Don’t tell me before you start. The anticipation will kill me.”

“Ha,” He muttered. “My dear, try saying that when you feel the needle.”

* * *

“And…it’s finished,” Zevran finally murmured. He pulled away and hopped off of the bed with a grin, putting down the needle to rummage for a mirror. He didn’t return until he found one, angling it just so that Kallian was able to see the entirety of the tattoo using the other mirror on the wall. “Quite a few hours spent on it…would you say it was worth it?”

Kallian could see the question in his gaze, asking for validation. “More than worth it. It’s amazing Zev. It’s – I can’t even find the words to describe how much I love it,” She praised. Zevran was caught by surprise when she suddenly turned around, pulling him into a kiss that nearly made him drop the mirror.

“Mi amor, I didn’t know you would like it _so_ much,” He mused, grinning when they finally pulled apart. “Maybe you should get a few more.”

“Are you kidding me?” She breathed, pulling her strawberry blonde hair out of its messy bun so that it fell over her shoulder and down her back in gentle waves. “Until you got those new needles, getting this monster inked was a mess. It didn’t feel okay until maybe the last two sessions. But now I’m severely turned on so maybe a little less talk, a little more fucking, Zevran.”

“I am at your command, dear warden.”

 


End file.
